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The stark California desert is the setting for Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala’s haunting film Falling Stars, which mixes the supernatural with the real. In the film, Mike, Sal, and Adam, three brothers, embark on a perilous journey with their friend Rob to find the corpse of a witch that has been buried in the dry ground.

They are motivated by a mix of youthful bravado and innocent curiosity. This dangerous adventure seems to happen during the scary Harvest season, when supernatural forces are said to come down to earth like shooting stars and demand rites and sacrifices to keep people safe.

A folklore that feels both ancient and disturbingly current is steeped in this meticulously created world. The witches, woven into the fabric of everyday life, are not just made-up stories; they are real threats that loom over the community, serving as a grim warning of the violence...

Is there life in folk horror beyond the tired old trope of city folks visiting a remote location and getting into trouble with the locals? This absorbing new work from co-directors Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala suggests there might be. An utterly immersive exercise in world-building, it posits an alternative present in which witches are real, falling from the sky like shooting stars at harvest time, and a system of rituals and rules has grown up around them – rules which three brothers and their friend are about to break.

What’s missing in most folk horror tales –and indeed in many otherwise diligent historical films – is an understanding of the different perspectives of people with pre-enlightenment beliefs. It’s here that writer Karpala truly triumphs, and in doing so provides a connection to our own world, in which half of the US population struggles to comprehend the thought processes of the.

The challenge is on: the industry sidebar of Poland’s American Film Festival, U.S. in Progress, is ready to top its “exceptionally successful” 2023 edition in November.

“U.S. in Progress alumni are taking festivals by storm,” says Aff’s artistic director Ula Śniegowska.

Presented as works-in-progress, India Donaldson’s “Good One” – awarded at the event last year – went on to premiere at Sundance and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in May. Tyler Taormina’s “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” was also shown at the French fest, described by Variety’s Jessica Kiang as “a sweet, nostalgic love letter to suburban holiday-season rituals.”

“We Strangers” by Anu Vaila and Cutter Hodierne’s “Cold Wallet” screened at SXSW, and “Familiar Touch” was shown in Venice. Monica Sorelle’s “Mountains” and Shane Atkinson’s “Laroy, Texas” were selected for Tribeca, Georden West’s “Playland” for IFFR, while “Falling Stars,” directed by Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki,...

Marked slates includes Romi, Falling Stars.

Toronto-based genre specialists Raven Banner have acquired worldwide sales rights to Max Isaacson’s genre-bending Paradise and has introduced to AFM buyers this week.

Patricia Allison (His Dark Materials), Tate Donavan (Ghosted) and Tia Carrere (True Lies) star in the comedy western as Ella Patchet, a rebellious punk and the fastest gun around in a small island town.

When corrupt officials cover up the murder of her father Dan, the town sheriff, Ella embarks on a rage-fuelled quest for justice. Paradise is in post.

Raven Banner will also introduce Robert Cuffley’s horror Romi,...

Not long ago, an award-winning Polish composer who’d scored dozens of films approached Ula Śniegowska about U.S. in Progress, an industry event conceived as a bridge between the Polish and American markets that runs parallel to the American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland.

“He approached me saying, ‘I’ve done enough in the Polish market. I need an introduction to the international market. Can you, as U.S. in Progress, help me?’” Śniegowska recalls. “It seems we are a perfect matchmaker for those types of companies to have their work exposed in the U.S.”

Celebrating its 13th edition, U.S. in Progress was launched as a showcase for emerging independent American filmmakers. Each year, the event presents a curated selection of American indie titles in the final stages of production to European sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. This year’s edition takes place Nov. 8 – 10.

Since its inception,...

Horror will once again climb to terrifying new heights later this month with the 14th edition of the Telluride Horror Show! Taking place October 13th–15th in the scenic mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, this year's Telluride Horror Show lineup is brimming with must-see screenings and special events, including It's a Wonderful Knife, Late Night with the Devil, The Sacrifice Game, and Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor, as well as fireside readings by authors Adam Cesare, Gabino Iglesias, and Jeremy Robert Johnson!

Below, we have the official press release with full details on the Telluride Horror Show, and to learn more and buy passes, be sure to visit the film festival's website!

Press Release: Telluride, Colorado – Telluride Horror Show has just announced the line-up for its 14th edition, October 13-15, 2023 in world-famous Telluride, Colorado.

The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries,...

The fourteenth edition of Telluride Horror Show kicks off this month, running from October 13-15, 2023 in world-famous Telluride, Colorado.

From the press release, “The 2023 Telluride Horror Show will showcase a robust international slate of genre films, including 21 features and 35 shorts from 14 countries, with highly anticipated titles including It’S A Wonderful Knife (Tyler MacIntyre), Late Night With The Devil (Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes), Suitable Flesh (Joe Lynch), The Origin (Andrew Cumming), The Sacrifice Game (Jenn Wexler), Where The Devil Roams (The Adams Family), and a special theatrical presentation of When Evil Lurks courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. Full film line-up listed below.

“As one of the largest-capacity genre film festivals in the world, Telluride Horror Show attracts the latest and best genre films from around the globe and attendees from all over the country for an incredible gathering of horror fans in the world-famous mountain resort town of Telluride. For three packed days,...

You guys wanna see a dead body?

But not just any body. The rotten body of a dead witch.

Do I have your attention? Wonderful! That’s the premise for Falling Stars. The folk-horror film takes place in a world where witches are not only real, but a very intense and unique threat. They fall to Earth every October for The Harvest, plummeting into our atmosphere and snatching people away before they even know what is happening. When Harvest season approaches, curfews are put in place for protection, precautions are taken, and people stay inside once the sun goes down. But even the strongest safety measures are not fool-proof. Sometimes, human curiosity is the most dangerous temptation.

Directed by Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala (from Karpala’s script) this film is a lo-fi horror tale that paints a new layer of American culture and mythology. On the first night of the Harvest,...

A new festival poster has been released for Falling Stars, Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki’s feature directorial debut, ahead of its North American premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest later this month. The American folk-horror witch drama is directed and produced by Karpala and Bienczycki. Find the poster below, along with a teaser trailer.

Karpala wrote and edited and Bienczycki lensed the feature, which was described by Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro as “Monte Hellman doing The Blair Witch Project.”

Offering a uniquely bold mix of tones and genres — and “a touch of Shirley Jackson” (Sight and Sound) — the film is set in the American West on the night of the first harvest as three brothers set out to see a dead witch buried by their friend. When they accidentally desecrate the body, they learn the only way to stop a curse on their family is to burn it before sunrise.

Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude).The lineup for the 76th edition of the festival has been announced, including new films by Eduardo Williams, Leonor Teles, Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, and others.Concorso INTERNAZIONALEAnimal (Sofia Exarchou)Critical Zone (Ali Ahmadzadeh)Essential Truths of the Lake (Lav Diaz)Home (Leonor Teles)The Human Surge 3 (Eduardo Williams)The Invisible Fight (Rainer Sarnet)Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude)Lousy Carter (Bob Byington)Manga D’Terra (Basil Da Cunha)Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où (Sylvain George)Patagonia (Simone Bozzelli)The Permanent Picture (Laura Ferrés)Rossosperanza (Annarita Zambrano)Stepne (Maryna Vroda)Sweet Dreams (Ena Sendijarević)The Vanishing Soldier (Dani Rosenberg)Yannick (Quentin Dupieux)Excursion (Una Gunjak).Concorso Cineasti Del PRESENTECamping du Lac (Eléonore Saintagnan)Ein Schöner Ort (Katharina Huber)Excursion (Una Gunjak)Family Portrait (Lucy Kerr)Dreaming...

A stellar precursor to the busy fall film festival season, Locarno Film Festival annually premieres some of the year’s most exciting cinema and 2023 looks to be no different. Taking place from August 2-12 in the Swiss town, the festival has now unveiled its lineup for the 76th edition. Highlights include Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge 3 (brilliantly forgoing a second film), Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World, Lav Diaz’s Essential Truths of the Lake, Sylvain George’s Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où, and Quentin Dupieux’s Yannick.

Speaking to its main section, Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, said, “From Quentin Dupieux and his edgy surrealism to Lav Diaz. From the sarcastic humor of Radu Jude to the night poetry of Sylvain Georges. From the mad inventions of Rainer Sarnet to the abstract psychedelia of Eduardo Williams.

Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival, Europe’s biggest mid-Summer movie event, has announced its lineup, welcoming recognizable names to its main competition, from Filipino auteur Lav Diaz (“Essential Truths of the Lake”) to Romanian powerhouse Radu Jude, who will show “Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World.”

As already announced, Cate Blanchett and Zar Amir Ebrahimi are set to attend the Locarno Film Festival’s closing night to promote the European launch of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film “Shayda.”

Among the titles selected for Locarno’s more broad-audience-friendly Piazza Grande lineup, Justine Triet will attend with her Cannes Palme’ d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” along with Ken Loach and his “The Old Oak.”

The festival will also celebrate the careers of Harmony Korine, producer Marianne Slot, editor Pietro Scalia, Tsai Ming-liang and present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Italian producer Renzo Rossellini.

UK star Riz Ahmed will be feted with a career achievement award at the upcoming 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, running August 2 and 12.

The Sound Of Metal actor will be presented with the Excellence Award Davide Campari at the opening night ceremony on the festival’s landmark Piazza Grande open-air cinema.

The ceremony will premiere Yann Mounir Demange’s semi-autobiographical short film Dammi, in which Ahmed participated alongside Isabelle Adjani, Souheila Yacoub, Sandor Funtek and Suzy Bemba.

The tribute will also screen Bassam Tariq’s 2020 rapper drama Mughal Mowgli, which Ahmed starred in and also produced and co-wrote, as part of it program.

Locarno announced the tribute during its announcement on Wednesday of its full 2023 line-up.

French directorial duo Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel’s The Falling Star will open the festival as part of the Piazza Grande program, which also features Justine Triet’s 2023 Cannes d’Or Winner Anatomy of a Fall,...

The Locarno International Film Festival unveiled the full program for 2023 on Wednesday, with dozens of world premieres set to screen in the 76th edition of the Swiss festival.

Locarno’s main Piazza Grande section will include several of this season’s festival favorites, among them Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall from French director Justine Triet starring Sandra Hüller; Ken Loach’s latest (and possibly last) feature, The Old Oak; Noora Niasari’s Sundance audience award winner Shayda, featuring Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi; and Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s comedy Theater Camp, which won a special jury prize at Sundance. Other highlights include U.S. horror feature Falling Stars by directors Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki; Dammi from 71′ and White Boy Rick-helmer Yann Demange; and Magnetic Continent, the new nature documentary from March of the Penguins‘ filmmaker Luc Jacquet about the continent of Antarctica.

Frontières' program kicks off this year at Cannes with the Frontières Platform. This year the program features Proof of Concept presentations and a Buyers Showcase will take place over the third weekend in May.    The Buyers Showcase features first or second feature films for directors like Turkey's Baris Fert, American duo Richard Karpala and Gabriel Bienczycki, Zarrar Kahn from Pakistan and Canadians Ashlea Wessel and Bruno Mourral. Canadian filmmaker Jesse T Cook appears to be the only vetern in the showcase this year. Producers of their films will present footage from these completed or near-completed films to potential buyers, sales agents, and festival programmers.   In the Proof of Concept program filmmakers will present completed teaser trailers to...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Emergence from pandemic lockdowns and the promise of in-person festivals has excitement brewing for the future of film, and the genre industry is no exception. The official selection of the 2022 Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes is in, and it displays bullish trends for the future of genre.

“There’s a lot of horror, and it kind of goes back to practical effects, and I love that,” says Frontières executive director Annick Mahnert. “Practical effects are coming back, which is great.”

Highlighting this trend is potential standout “Gnomes!” from the Netherlands, a horror film about gnomes who murder curious humans and turn them into sausage while they’re still alive. The film boasts producer and art department master Richard Raaphorst (“Frankenstein’s Army”), who brought the gnomes to life.

Other possible standouts of practical effects are “Requiem for a Robot, “Street Trash” and “Serial Kitten,” which blends costumes and CGI.

Michael Shanks.

Michael Leonard and Jamie Helmer’s The Diver was awarded Best Australian Short Film at the closing of Flickerfest in Sydney yesterday evening, while Michael Shanks’ Rebooted took home the Best Australian Short Animation prize.

Other winners included Alana Hicks, who took home Best Direction in an Australian Short Film for Chicken and Lydia Rui, who was named Outstanding Female Director for This Perfect Day.

The Diver, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last year, follows Callan, played by Nicholas Denton, whose rage, chaos and confusion that can only be tamed by the soothing solitude of the world underwater. It was produced with Justin Pechberty and Damien Megherbi.

Jane Cho’s The Egg, produced by Ilana Lazar, also earned a special mention in the Best Australian Short category.

Shanks’ Aacta-nominated Rebooted, produced by Nicholas Colla and Chris Hocking, follows an ageing movie star – a stop motion...